16.07.2026 12:40
AK Party Secretary General and İzmir Deputy Eyyüp Kadir İnan answered journalists' questions at the "15 July in Its 10th Year: The Will is Ours, The Victory is Ours" program held in the Capital City National Garden as part of the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day events.
Speaking about the events of that night, İnan said, “On the night of July 15, our nation displayed an epic resistance across Ankara, from the Turkish General Staff to our Gazi Parliament, from the AK Party Headquarters to the Presidential Complex. In Istanbul, from Edirne to Hakkâri, from Izmir to Van, our noble nation, under the leadership of our President and Chairman, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, waged the second War of Independence.
Just as we achieved victory in our first War of Independence under the leadership of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on the night of July 15, we thwarted the coup attempt against our national will, independence, and future with the same faith and determination.
If the treacherous FETÖ coup plotters had succeeded that night, today we would not be able to defend our rights and interests in the Blue Homeland with such resolve, nor could we speak of domestic resource rates reaching 90 percent in the defense industry, especially our UAVs and armed UAVs. The victory won on July 15 saved not only our democracy but also Turkey’s march toward independence, its defense initiatives, and its goals for a strong future.” he said.
Describing July 15 as the day when all of Israel’s plans collapsed, İnan said,
“FETÖ was not just a network of treason that infiltrated our state for about 45 years; it also operated as one of Israel’s and global imperialist powers’ proxies in Turkey. From the Gezi protests to the December 17-25 coup plot, from overt and covert espionage activities to social and political engineering attempts, many fifth-column activities targeting Turkey were carried out through this structure.
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On the night of July 15, our nation, under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, not only defeated the FETÖ coup plotters but also thwarted the plans of the powers behind them over Turkey and our region. That night, this dirty proxy structure was sent to the garbage dump of history.
Today, Israel stands directly against us with the genocide it perpetrates in Gaza and the policies of oppression it seeks to spread throughout our region. Those who yesterday carried out their operations against Turkey through proxy structures like FETÖ have now been forced to come out into the open with their own faces.
Therefore, July 15 is a historic turning point where the calculations of Israel and global imperialist powers regarding the region collapsed. If the FETÖ coup plotters had succeeded that night, Turkey would have lost its independence and national will, become a satellite of imperialist powers, and been effectively turned into a FETÖ republic. Our nation’s epic resistance not only thwarted a coup but also the plan to take over Turkey and reshape our region.” he said.
“JULY 15 WILL NOT LET ITSELF BE FORGOTTEN”
AK Party member İnan concluded his remarks as follows: “They say, ‘A forgotten coup repeats.’ However, July 15 will never let itself be forgotten.
As a young person, I want to express that it is our responsibility to convey the spirit of July 15, the courage shown by our nation, and the great struggle waged to future generations.
Our President and Chairman, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has inscribed his name in history in golden letters with the great courage and decisive leadership he displayed that night. By going to the squares saying, ‘I exist together with my nation,’ calling his people to resistance, and leading the fight against the coup plotters, our President became the democracy hero of the night of July 15.”